The Speaker Series features a unique professional development opportunity for minor hockey coaches to learn from high profile junior coaches, as well as a chance to catch the Canmore Eagles in action. This game is the kick-off to ’Rogers Hometown Hockey’ which is being held in Canmore, Alberta the weekend of February 9th - 11th, 2018.

The seminar takes place at the Canmore Recreation Centre prior to the AJHL game featuring the Calgary Canucks and the Canmore Eagles that evening. There are only 25 seats available, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

RED DEER - Alberta males born in 2005 have the unique opportunity to participate in the third annual Hockey Alberta Peewee Skills Camp, hosted by the Team Alberta program.

The camp takes place in Calgary at the Don Hartman Sportsplex on June 22-24. This Skills Camp will focus on skill development, checking skills, proper training techniques, and will provide athletes with information about the Team Alberta process.

*NOTE - Goalie registration is full for all camps, except for Edmonton. Please contact dmoore@hockeyalberta.ca to be placed on a waitlist.*

Please note: The zone boundaries have been re-aligned for the 2018 Alberta Cup, to more closely coincide with the Male Alberta Development Model. Please review the revised zone boundary directory, as players will now attend the appropriate camp based on where they would attend their first tryout for Bantam AAA, unless otherwise indicated. Entire Minor Hockey Associations are within a specific Alberta Cup zone and not split. If you have any questions on the zone boundary changes, please contact Dustin Moore at dmoore@hockeyalberta.ca before registering for a zone camp.

The Alberta Cup aids in the identification and selection of potential players for Hockey Alberta’s Team Alberta program, with more than 700 players annually trying out for 160 spots (20 positions on each of the eight zone teams).

The Alberta Cup is a comprehensive and unique program, and an absolute grassroots program where every bantam-aged player, regardless of experience or community size, has the opportunity to try out for his Zone team.

In addition to player development, the Alberta Cup also features opportunities for administrators, referees, coaches, therapists and equipment managers to be identified for potential positions at higher level events, such as the World U17 Hockey Challenge and Canada Winter Games.

FORT MCMURRAY - Zone 2 swept the gold medals in the hockey competition, as the 2018 Alberta Winter Games wrapped up in Fort McMurray on Monday.

In the Female Division, Zone 2 eked out a 3-2 victory over Zone 6 in the gold medal game. Meanwhile, in the Male Division, Zone 2 blanked Zone 3, 2-0, to capture the gold.

In the bronze medal games, it was also a sweep, as Zone 7 captured third place honours in both divisions. On the Female side, Zone 7 defeated Zone 3, 3-1. In the Male Division, Zone 7 defeated Zone 6, 7-2.

Action started on Saturday, with round-robin pool play for the eight male teams and six female teams.

In the Male Division, Zone 7 finished first and Zone 3 second in Pool A, while Zone 6 and Zone 2 were tied atop Pool B, with Zone 6 being awarded top spot. In the semi-finals, both first-place finishers were upset, as Zone 2 defeated Zone 7, 8-1, and Zone 3 defeated Zone 6, 5-2.

In the Female Division, Zone 2 finished first and Zone 3 second in Pool A, while all three teams in Pool B tied with 2 points. Zone 7 was awarded first, and Zone 6 second. In the semi-finals, Zones 2 and 6 emerged victorious with identical 3-1 wins, to advance to the gold medal game.

BONNYVILLE - For the second time in three years, Bonnyville will host the World Junior A Challenge.

The annual showcase of Canadian and international Junior A talent returns to Alberta December 9-15, 2018.

The 2018 World Junior A Challenge represents a partnership between Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and Hockey Alberta, as well as the local host committee and NHL Central Scouting. Similar to previous years, two Canadian teams – Canada East and Canada West – will compete with four international entries for a gold medal in Bonnyville.

“Bonnyville was an excellent host to teams, fans, and our partners at the 2016 World Junior A Challenge, and it’s great to be returning there in 2018,” said Dean McIntosh, vice-president of events and properties with Hockey Canada. “Its previous success and strong community support in 2016 resulted in a strong legacy for the community, and we look forward to continuing to support the growth of and development of hockey, and the positive financial impact to the area, with this year’s tournament.”

The World Junior A Challenge host committee will look to emulate the success of the 2016 event, which was staged by nearly 150 community volunteers.

“The level of support we received in 2016 from the region, funding partners, and volunteers was truly incredible,” said Robb Hunter, co-chair of the local host committee. “This support is the reason our group has the opportunity to bring the elite competition of the World Junior A Challenge back to Bonnyville so quickly, and we are excited to create another memorable event for all participating teams through the continued passion for junior hockey in our community.”

Team Canada West claimed its fifth gold medal at the 2017 World Junior A Challenge in Truro, N.S., defeating the United States 5-1 in front of a sell-out crowd at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

Hockey Alberta coordinates the ice hockey portion of the Winter Games, as a core segment of its Development Program. The Winter Games provide players, coaches, trainers and referees an opportunity to discover the great qualities of competitive hockey starting with the zone camp and selection process, through to competing in the Games.

Each camp features Power Edge Pro’s Reactive Countering Trainingâ¢, a uniquely designed on-ice player development system that focuses on engaging multiple motor skills simultaneously to develop a player’s small area game performance. All patterns are completed while maintaining puck control and are designed to provide five times as many repetitions as standard drill based practices, leading to faster development of elite skills.

Athletes who train with Power Edge Pro include Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Jason Spezza, Aaron Ekblad, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Brayden Schenn, Nathan MacKinnon, Morgan Rielly, Sam Steel. PEP has also trained four of the past five WHL draft first overall selections, all of whom have hailed from Alberta.

RED DEER - A unique skill development opportunity is available to 2004-born male hockey players in Alberta, as Hockey Alberta and the Western Hockey League are co-hosting the fourth annual WHL Skills Camp.

The camp, for U15 players, is set to run June 8-10, 2018 in Calgary. The cost of the camp is $300.

The WHL Skills Camp provides athletes with the opportunity to learn from an impressive array of instructors, including instructors from the WHL. Participants will be divided into eight teams for the weekend, and participate in a variety of activities, including:

Friday: On and Off-Ice Combine testing

Saturday: Team Alberta/WHL presentation, Yoga, and two skill sessions.

Sunday: one skill session, a dry land session and the event will wrap up with a game officiated by the WHL Officials Development Camp.

Goaltenders will also participate in an on and off-ice goaltender session.

The camp will focus on skill development and proper training techniques, and provides athletes with information about the Team Alberta process, information on the WHL, while challenging players to excel on and off the ice.

The maximum capacity for the camp is 160 athletes. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, please contact Dustin Moore, Coordinator, Team Alberta

EDMONTON - The 2018 Alberta Female Hockey League Prospects Games were a huge success, with the Midget Elite North and Bantam Elite South teams coming out on top in their respective games.

Both games took place at the NAIT Arena in Edmonton, complete with on-ice goalie and skills sessions, team-building activities, and a fitting booth with one of the day’s sponsors, CCM, giving players the chance to try out various pieces of equipment throughout the day.

Two forwards and one defence from each AFHL team were selected to their respective rosters by AFHL coaches, while goaltenders were selected based on their statistical ranking as of January 10. The coaches chosen to represent the North and South teams in each league are from the first and second place teams within each division.

The Alberta Female Hockey League would like to thank all the parents, players and coaches for making the AFHL Prospects games such a success. The AFHL would also like to thank all of the event sponsors: Gatorade Canada, CCM, Two Point Photography and Skate to Excel.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta’s Coach of the Month for January is Kraig Radtke of Leduc.

Kraig is currently the Head Coach of the Leduc Roughnecks Atom 1 team.

"This year, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a great group of kids, parents, managers and coaches. The entire coaching staff and managers on our Leduc Atom 1 Hockey team have made significant contributions that support my overall coaching philosophy and goals," said Kraig. "Hockey and coaching takes up a huge part of my life and I look forward to every moment I have with the kids on the ice, on the bench and in the dressing room. It is extremely rewarding to see the kids enjoy the game as much as I do and to know that I helped foster or create that passion for the game."

"Kraig has shown several qualities of an outstanding coach for our Atom team," said the individual who nominated Kraig. "He had shown interest in all of the boys’ individual success and continues to focus on helping them reach their goals. One of the things that really stood out was the way he continues to emphasize the importance of being a team player, not just on the ice in a practice or game setting but outside of the rink and in life. He has had several talks with the team about the importance of being respectful, looking out for one another, and being accountable for you’re actions. It is so important to teach our young hockey players life lessons through sports and I think he and the other coaching staff have been doing a great job in reinforcing this. He has been completely dedicated to the team and our team appreciates everything he has brought forward."

It’s a four-way tie atop the Midget AAA leaderboard between Rocky Mountain Raiders forwards Chloe Puddifant, Breanne Trotter, and Nicole Fry, along with Red Deer’s Cassidy Maplethorpe, all with 24 points through four months of play. Trotter and Fry lead the way with 16 goals and 15 assists, respectively.

Calgary Fire Red forward Sydney Benko leads the league in goals (19) and points (24), while Peace Country’s Karsyn May leads the way with 12 assists.

St. Albert’s Holly Borrett leads all Midget Elite goaltenders with a 1.02 goals against average, while Edmonton’s Josie-Leah Cardinal remains atop the leaderboard with a .960 save percentage. Airdrie’s Cianna Weir continues to lead the way with 12 wins, while Cardinal and Calgary Fire White netminder Cassidy Brown are tied with four shutouts each.

Sherwood Park’s Jenna Goodwin ended January on a strong note, sitting atop the league in goals (20) and points (29), with North Central’s Jacquelyn Fleming leading the way in assists, with 12.

Alexandra Kieren continues her standout season with Calgary White, leading the way with a 0.81 GAA, a .950 save percentage, while St. Albert’s Layla Hood is tied for the league lead in wins (12) with Sherwood Park’s Asia Kachuk. Hood and Kieren both lead the league in shutouts, with 5 apiece.

Two forwards and one defence from each AFHL team were selected to their respective rosters by AFHL coaches, while goaltenders were selected based on their statistical ranking as of January 10. The coaches chosen to represent the North and South teams in each league are from the first and second place teams within each division.

Both AFHL Prospects games are set for February 3 at the NAIT Arena in Edmonton. The Bantam Elite Prospects Game goes at 2:30 p.m., with the Midget Elite Prospects Game to follow at 5:00 p.m.

Prior to each Prospects games, participating players will take part in on-ice goalie and skills sessions, as well as a team-building activity. CCM will also be on site to allow players the chance to try out various pieces of equipment throughout the day.